CHICAGO – Christian author and college professor Miriam Adeney gave a sort of "state of missions" speech during the North American Mission Leaders Conference Friday in which she said the church in many parts of the world continues to flourish where the Gospel is proclaimed with regularity.

"What's new in missions? The church of Jesus Christ," said Adeney, answering her own question before more than 500 mission organization leaders attending the three-day conference at Chicago Marriott O'Hare.

"Who could have imagined the church in China as it is today? In China, the church is bigger than the communist party," she said. more >>

A new online conference, Christ in Business, aims to help a generation full of hopeful, would-be entrepreneurs build their own businesses and influence the world to the glory of God. However, some are worried the church is being left out of the "startup revolution," missing the chance to create opportunities for themselves and others.

The Christ in Business online conference was the brainchild of Michael Holmes, an author, speaker, and internet entrepreneur. He feels that in the face of high unemployment and more jobs moving into the internet space, young people familiar with online practices and marketing should invest their time in online startups.

"Millenials [ask], 'Why exactly do I need a [traditional] job?'" he explained to The Christian Post. He aims to give "young entrepreneurs in the faith actionable, practical guidance to success" via the experience of experts he assembled for the conference. more >>

The Gallup Poll released data this week showing that Americans currently have the lowest confidence in organized religion than at any other time, with Protestants proving the most trusting group while distrust among Catholics is attributed to child sex abuse scandals.

In response to a question about their confidence in religion, statistics showed that only 44 percent of respondents had a great deal or a lot of confidence in religion. This number is lower than the 48 percent scored in 2011, and lower than the previous all-time low of 45 percent reported in 2002.

Protestants remained the most trusting group in America, with 56 percent of respondents claiming that they have a great deal or a lot of confidence in the church/organized religion. Catholics, which make up the second-largest Christian denomination in America, dropped to 46 percent. While Gallup was unable to analyze the other groups of respondents separately, it concluded that Americans that do not identify as Protestants or Catholics on average have 29 percent less faith in organized religion. more >>

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) held a debate during its General Assembly in Pittsburgh, Pa., where a proposed divestment from companies doing business with the Israeli government was narrowly rejected on Thursday.

The Assembly, which will also be debating a number of key issues such as same-sex marriage, initially voted to bring the issue up for discussion and ask members whether they wanted the church to continue doing business with companies like Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett-Packard, which have been supplying the Israeli military with security products. These business ties are seen by some as harmful to the Palestinian people who live under Israeli occupation in disputed territories in the West Bank. The PC(USA) had reportedly been in talks with these companies for the past eight years, which was unsuccessful in implementing changes.

"It's too early to know what is going to happen, but I have been moved to tears on multiple occasions as I saw authentic recognition of Palestinian experience and deep commitment to justice for all people by the Presbyterian Church," commented Rabbi Alissa Wise, the director of campaigns for Jewish Voice for Peace, after the vote. "This is a historic moment in the struggle for dignity and justice, and I commend the PC(USA) for getting us this close to holding corporations accountable for profiting from the occupation." more >>

Elevation Church Pastor Steven Furtick preached at a Hillsong Conference in Sydney for the first time on Tuesday, telling thousands of people in attendance and an online audience that God doesn't need anyone to "feel ready" to answer their calling.

"Abraham wasn't ready. Moses wasn't ready … The disciples were never ready and they never got it. Even when they got it they still didn't get it … each time they were ready they started to doubt because their faith was in their readiness," said Furtick, referring to people and stories in the Bible that included reluctant participants in God's plans.

"I certainly wasn't ready when I was 16 years old and God saved me." more >>

The evangelical population of Brazil increased by 16 million people over the 10 year period from 2000 to 2010, to 42.3 million, according to census results from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) published Friday.

The 2010 census results reveal that over three decades the percentage of evangelicals jumped from 6.6 percent to 22.2 percent of the overall Brazilian population, making it the fastest growing religious segment in the Latin American country.

While the evangelical population ballooned, the Catholic population has decreased over the same 10 year period. In 2000 the Catholic population represented 73.6 percent of Brazil's population, but by 2010 that percentage had decreased to under two-thirds, or 64.6 percent. more >>